Although SF Beer Week ended nearly 3 months ago, I still have some photos and experiences from a few of the events that I’d like to share. On Friday, February 12, 2010 I attended the release party for Uncommon Brewers Bacon Brown Ale at Church Key in San Francisco. The event featured most of Uncommon Brewers beers including the Bacon Brown Ale, which was interesting an worth a second try when I have the opportunity.The Bacon Brown Ale is about what you would expect, a brown ale a hint of bacon in the aroma and taste and a little more viscous than your average beer. I seemed like there was a bit of sediment in the beer from the bacon that would settle to the bottom of the glass after a period of time. It wasn’t too bitter and not terribly especially sweet but favoring maltiness. I talked with the brewer, I believe it was Alec, and he mentioned that, at the time, he was considering adding more bacon to the next batch.

Also while talking with Alec, I learned about a few upcoming projects that Uncommon Brewers are undertaking. First, he mentioned that both Golden State Ale, brewed with poppy seeds, and Baltic Porter, brewed with licorice root and star anise were “coming soon” to cans and it was taking a bit extra time to get the Baltic Porter approved due to FDA guidelines regarding licorice.

Next, I learned that they are working on a few new beers. One is a sour beer called Serendipity Sour and the other sounds interesting. It will be and American special bitter with 14.5% alcohol by volume, lot’s of bitterness, and aged with redwood.

Finally, I was informed that in February they were planning on going national within 8 months (5 months from writing) with production increased to 120,000 cans per month.

According to these, and other brewers, beer from a can has advantages. First, the beer cans are lined so the beer never comes in contact with metal. Next, the beer is never exposed to the harmful effects of light. The beer can is supposedly a more airtight container preventing exposure to oxygen. Finally, the cans are lighter and you can take them where you cannot take bottles such as camping and golfing.

This event was a great opportunity to try canned beer from Oskar Blues from Colorado, 21st Amendment from San Francisco, and Uncommon Brewers from Santa Cruz. I tried a little bit of everything (except Dale’s and Brew Free or Die) and the beer was excellent. For all I knew, the beer could have been poured from a can or poured from draft. The following is a list of beer that was available in cans at this event:

• 21st Amendment
  • Watermelon Wheat
  • Brew Free or Die IPA
• Oskar Blues
  • Dale’s Pale Ale
  • Old Chub Scottish
  • Gordon Strong Ale
  • Ten Fidy Stout
• Uncommon Brewers
  • Siamese Twin

Siamese Twin is a wonderful Belgian-style double brewed with “exotic spices to enhance beer flavors,” which, according to the brewery, is a long tradition in Belgian brewing. A good example is Belgian witbier which includes coriander and orange peel. This beer, however, is brewed with Thai spices such as kaffir lime and lemongrass in addition to coriander. Being a double it had a high alcohol content by volume at 8.5%. I thought this beer was both interesting and delicious and lives up to the name “Uncommon.” Since I had some very hoppy and malty brews before this one, I had trouble finding the Thai spices but they are definitely there. I can’t wait to get some more cans so I can enjoy it with some home made Thai food and also write up a full review.

The Watermelon Wheat beer is interesting in that it smells a little bit like a vegetable but when you taste it the flavor is distinctly and deliciously watermelon. I always prefer to be able to taste the special ingredient than have it be so subtle you’re not sure it is there. This beer is made with 400 lbs. of watermelon per batch.

Old Chub, by Oskar Blues, is an acclaimed and award winning Scottish Ale having won a Gold Medal at the 2008 World Beer Championships. It is a deeply malty ale that is a wonderful representation of the Scottish ale style. It is roasty, sweet, hints of bittersweet chocolate, and slightly smoky from the beechwood-smoked grains. Old Chub also has a nice warming feeling from the 8% alcohol by volume. This beer definitely ranks among some of the best Scottish ales that I have tried.

Oskar Blues Gordon Beer is, according to the brewery, “a hybrid version of strong ale, somewhere between an Imperial Red and a Double IPA.” It is a great beer with an incredible citrus and fresh hop smell yet warms you up with 8.7% alcohol by volume. After the event I picked up a 4-pack of this beer so that I can review it in a later blog posting.

Finally, I tried my new favorite imperial stout, Ten Fidy also by Oskar Blues. What makes this beer imperial? The huge amount of flavor, malt, hops, and alcohol is what makes this an imperial beer. The alcohol content is 10% alcohol by volume but the malty sweetness both overshadows the alcohol flavor as well at the 98 IBUs of hops. The beer both smells and tastes like bittersweet chocolate cake and artisan roasted coffee. It is extraordinarily drinkable for being such a big beer. I purchased a 4-pack at the end of the event and will be doing a full review later. I also used a can of this wonderful beer to cook up a batch of beer brittle, which I will also blog about.